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Gathering the Data 53

of the business buzzwords of the 1990s), most companies can still
learn from a competitor or other top-performing organization,
even one in a different industry.

LESSONS LEARNED AND IMPLEMENTATION
ILLUSTRATIONS
How can you take the McKinsey lessons of strategic data gathering
and apply them in your organization? Our interviews with
McKinsey alumni who have worked to transfer the data orienta-
tion and fact-finding approaches to post-McKinsey organizations
helped us identify three ways to get this done:

• Diagnose the data orientation of your organization.
• Demonstrate the power of good facts.
• Build the proper infrastructure.

Diagnose the data orientation of your organization. The cul-
tures of organizations vary widely, as do their “data orientations.”
McKinsey has developed a strong, fact-based culture that man-
dates factual support for articulated positions, both in internal
communications to employees and in external communications to
clients. When they leave the Firm, many alumni are surprised at the
lack of concrete data analysis in their new organizations. Stevie
McNeal, vice president at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Car-
olina, identified the absence of facts as a potential inhibitor of
effective decision making. “Certain facts and the effective commu-
nication thereof can be intimidating,” she observes, “especially
when people are operating without a basis in facts and logic.”
A fact-oriented culture is hardly the exclusive preserve of
McKinsey, however. Other companies can and do rely on data
ahead of instinct, and some McKinsey alumni have helped their
organizations develop this attitude. The first step in advancing data